Breakdown of Tom heeft een gloednieuw toestel; hij is aan het testen hoe scherp de camera is.
zijn
to be
Tom
Tom
hebben
to have
hij
he
een
a, an
hoe
how
aan
at
gloednieuw
brand-new
het toestel
the device
testen
to test
scherp
sharp
de camera
the camera
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Questions & Answers about Tom heeft een gloednieuw toestel; hij is aan het testen hoe scherp de camera is.
What does gloednieuw mean, and why is it written as a single word?
gloednieuw literally combines gloed (glow) and nieuw (new) to mean “brand-new” or “sparkling new.” Dutch often fuses intensifying adjectives into compounds (e.g. splinternieuw, hagelnieuw), so you write it as one word.
Why doesn’t gloednieuw take an -e ending in een gloednieuw toestel?
In Dutch, an adjective before a neuter noun with an indefinite article remains uninflected (no -e). toestel is a neuter (het-woord) and you have een, so you say een gloednieuw toestel. If it were a common-gender noun (de-woord), you’d add -e, e.g. een gloednieuwe auto.
What’s the difference between toestel and apparaat?
Both mean “device” or “appliance.” toestel often appears in the context of consumer electronics or portable gadgets, whereas apparaat is more general and can refer to any mechanical or electronic apparatus. In many contexts they’re interchangeable.
Why is aan het testen used here instead of a simple present tense like hij test?
Dutch uses the aan het + infinitive construction to express a progressive aspect (what someone is in the middle of doing).
– hij test = he tests (habitually or as a fact)
– hij is aan het testen = he is testing right now
Could we simply say hij test hoe scherp de camera is?
Yes. hij test hoe scherp de camera is is grammatically correct and means the same, but it sounds more like a general statement. hij is aan het testen emphasizes that the action is ongoing at this moment.
Why is the verb is placed at the end in hoe scherp de camera is?
This clause is an embedded (indirect) question introduced by hoe (how). In Dutch subordinate clauses, the finite verb goes to the end:
[hoe scherp de camera is].
Why use a semicolon between the two clauses instead of a period or comma?
A semicolon links two closely related independent clauses more strongly than a comma but less finally than a period. Here it shows that Tom’s ownership of a new device and his testing of the camera are tightly connected.